Will Bad Weather Sideline the Super Bowl?

(NEW YORK) — Weather at the Super Bowl on Sunday will be cold, but not unbearable, and a storm expected to hit the East Coast Saturday night should be gone by game day, meteorologists predict.

“Should” is the key word here because if the storm doesn’t move across the country at the pace expected, it could mean rain or snow for game day.

Meteorologists have for the last month trained their sights on MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., home of the first NFL championship to be held outside in a cold-weather city.

The temperature on Super Bowl Sunday is expected to be 32 degrees, with a high of 36, slightly colder than the normal temperature of 40 degrees, according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

Rayno called Sunday’s predicted weather “a typical early February kind of day” with a breeze out of the Northwest.

A cold snap is expected to hit the eastern U.S. this week, with temperatures plunging into the teens. Some fans worried that Super Bowl XLVIII would potentially be delayed on account of the weather. But given forecasts for clear skies, the league has said the game will go on at the MetLife stadium, the home of the New York Jets and Giants.

Players from both the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks are already in town and will practice throughout the week, and events planned throughout the area, including Tuesday’s media day at the stadium, are expected to continue as planned.

A weak low-pressure storm is expected to hit the area on Saturday, dropping rain and possibly snow. Models, as of Monday, suggest the storm will be gone by Saturday night and Super Bowl Sunday will be dry.

However, Rayno said, if the storm lingers longer than currently expected, or moves slower than expected, it could rain or snow at the game.

“I don’t think weather will have an impact of the game or gives either team an advantage,” he said. “The normal high in Seattle is 49. Denver is no stranger to cold air and can have wild swings, with a normal high of 44.”